gold star for USAHOF
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June 9 –July 20, 1958
Sheb Wooley
The Purple People Eater

42. Rocky Freitas

From the state of Hawaii, Rocky Freitas was a Detroit Lion (1968-77) for all but his final season as a professional football player.  The Offensive Tackle played 121 Games for Detroit and was a Pro Bowl Selection in 1972 and he would lead the NFL in Approximate Value (20) that season.

47. John Gordy

Another career Detroit Lion, John Gordy was allegedly the inspiration for George Plimpton’s second book on football, “Mad Ducks and Bears”.  Gordy was far more than a literary muse as he was a three time Pro Bowler and a star lineman for Detroit for a decade.
The NFL Rookie of the Year in 1959, Nick Pietrosante came out of Notre Dame a star and continued that pattern in Detroit.  The Fullback would be a Pro Bowl Selection in both 1960 and 1961 and rushed for 3,933 Yards as a Lion, an excellent number for that position in that era.